***Author's Babble***

Wow, another update and two months haven't passed yet! I'm getting better!!! This one goes out to LindaG, Megs, and (as always) to Sar. Thanks for the support! As for the rest of you, read on�

Daniel's POV

In all of my many years and all of my many fantasies I had never pictured waking up with Darren the way I had this morning. Normally, in my imaginings, I would awaken first (long after the sun had risen), and upon opening my eyes I would be treated to the most beautiful sight in the world-- a delightfully dozing Dazza.

This morning, however, I was the second to wake--which didn't seem too bad at the time. Sudden movement in the bed beside me pulled me from a heavy sleep, and due to the aftereffects of what family members and friends have jokingly dubbed as my "early morning post-coma" I would have been content to spend the rest of the day drowsing in bed. I knew that something wasn't quite right when I first came into semi-consciousness, but was too groggy to be bothered by it. With thoughts of the warm, soft, naked body in the bed next to me dancing in my mind alongside the memories of what we had done the night before, I smiled in my sleep-like state and nestled down beside my Darren--who, being completely awake already, began to tease me. I, of course, merely laughed at this, then noticed that his body seemed too tense against my completely lax one. Wanting to help Darren relax, I moved to gather him into my arms.

Which didn't work out too well.

Immediately, Darren's already rigid form stiffened even more and an involuntary gasp of pain escaped his lips. I was wide-awake in the next instant, sitting bolt upright in bed, and looking him over in almost a panic. He appeared to be fighting for control of his body, holding himself as immobile as possible and grinding his teeth at the effort. I didn't know what to do, didn�t know what to think. At first I couldn't even get him to open up and tell me what exactly was wrong, and when he did finally talk, there wasn't a damned thing I could do about it. Being coherent enough to remember the painkillers was a stroke of pure genius on my part, and after some time (and some gentle coaxing) they began to work and Darren was able to calm down. The entire time I spent soothing him, I couldn't help but wonder if this pain was my fault and I silently cursed myself at the possibility. After a while I asked about it and, to my immense relief, he assured me I wasn't the cause.

Things progressed from there. We relaxed for a time, discussed the atrociously early hour that we were unfortunately awake in, and then Darren got his inspired--if not drug induced--idea. A bath.

Which lead me here�standing in the pale-blue tiled room watching as the bathtub fills with suds and water, contemplating baths, sex, pain, life, and love. An interesting mixture of things that it was far too early in the morning to be thinking about. Fortunately for me, Darren's voice from the other room interrupted my musing.

"Danny?" he called.

"Yeah?" I asked in return, raising my voice so that he could hear me over the noise of the rushing tap.

"What're you doing?"

I grinned. "Wasting your precious store of bubble bath!"

An indignant squawk was the reply. "If I weren't so tired, I would come in there and beat you down for even joking about such a crime!"

"Really�you and what army?" I replied with a silent chuckle. Then I thought about what Darren had just said. "Wait! You just finished telling me, not five minutes ago, that you weren't tired!"

There was silence for a few seconds before a sheepish, "I lied?"

I rolled my eyes as I walked over to lean in the open doorway. Darren was still sitting as I left him, propped up against the headboard, wrapped in nothing but the thin, white bedsheet. "See if I ever listen to you again, Mr. Hayes!" I told him.

He grinned in response.

"Your bath is nearly ready. Get in here before I throw you in." It wasn't a threat�it was a promise.

Still unabashedly grinning, Darren untangled himself from the sheets and groped his way out of the bed. He made his way gingerly across the floor, stepping in a manner that resembled a man walking over hot coals. One hand reached out to seek and find the guiding support of the wall. He was beautiful in the dim lamplight, nude with his hair tossled, and a look of intense concentration on his face. It wasn't a long or particularly arduous journey to the bathroom, and yet he made his way there in such a painstaking manner. Each step was measured, halting. His free hand remained in front of him as a buffer of sorts to make sure that there was nothing in his path.

It was incredible to watch. Though this would seem like such a menial task to anyone else, it gave me a sense of pride to see Darren fending for himself, walking only with his remaining senses and instincts to aid him, and not depending on anyone else for help. If the roles were reversed, I do not think that I could have dealt with his situation with nearly his amount of strength. I love him�

When he got to the doorway, I reached out to take his hand. Just because he hadn't needed or asked for my help didn't mean that he wasn't going to get it. He'd made it that far on his own; we'd walk the final few steps together. Darren smiled and squeezed my hand as I led him into the bathroom.

The water was still running and there were so many suds in the tub that it looked fit to overflow. Steam from the hot water fogged the much cooler glass of the mirror and made the rest of the room appear somewhat hazy. I guided Darren over to the bath in much the same manner that I had used before when he wanted to shower. Still feeling about with one hand while holding onto me with the other, Darren scrambled into the bathtub and sank into the suds. As he got settled (grimacing a little as he sat), I reached over to turn off the taps then stood back to admire the lovely sight of a wet and soapy Daz. He spent some time cupping the warm water in his hands and feeling it drain out again, seeming infatuated with the liquid playing over his sensitive fingers. Then he trailed his hand through a mound of bubbles, giggling as they tickled his skin. He looked just like a little kid sitting there that I had to simply stand for a moment to quietly observe him. Apparently the absence of my presence after a time had him confused.

"You going to join me?" he purred in question.

"I thought I might, yeah."

At this Darren made an impatient gesture with one hand, which only succeeded in flinging bubbles out of the bath. "Then what are you waiting for?" he demanded. "A formal invitation? Get your arse in here!"

That was all the invite I needed�

In a manner very much like a slinky, he scooted back in the tub giving me room to slide into the bath in front of him. Feeling a bit self-conscious and kicking myself mentally for it, I hesitantly clambered into the frothy water. Immediately, a cloud of bubbles wafted up to attack my face. I spluttered uselessly, feeling the rumble of Darren's laughter behind me as he drew me backward to him.

"I think it's rabid�" I coughed trying to dislodge the errant bubbles from by throat.

"What?"

"The water," I explained, reaching back to fling a few drops at him. "All this foam�I think our bath has rabies."

He laughed in full at this. "I worry about you sometimes, Danny. Really, I do�"

I smiled, pleased that he was laughing even if it was at my expense. We were silent for awhile, just sitting together drowsing, me watching the bubbles popping, and Darren absently rubbing his hands over my water-slicked stomach. After a few more moments of almost silence, he gave a small sigh and out of nowhere said, "Thank you."

I was confused. "For what, D?"

"You've really been wonderful about this�taken everything in stride, taken care of me. You've done so much and I just wanted to thank you for it."

"No need," I told him. "You're more than worth all of it."

"I thank you for thinking that as well�"

"Stop that! You don�t have to thank me every time I do something nice for you�If anything Darren, I should be thanking you."

It was his turn to be confused. "Why? Whatever for?"

"For having the courage to make me open up. For bringing us together. Hell, for letting me love you, and you loving me in return!"

He leaned forward to draw me flush against his body and hook his chin over my shoulder. Water droplets fell from his hair and dripped down my chest, but I ignored them. "Danny, you might as well be thanking me for breathing!"

"There, you see�no thanks is needed on either part. It's nice to hear and everything, but it isn't necessary."

"Okay," he said. "You win�but can I at least tell you that I love you, then?" His arms tightened around me for a second before loosening again.

"I'd never say no to that. Love you, too."

"Good, you should!"

"Prat�" I muttered, letting my head loll back against him and my eyes drift shut. Even amidst Darren's ridiculous bubbles I was comfortable. My eyes opened again when felt him lift one of his arms and begin to fumble for something. His hand came in contact with the soap that was sitting in its dish and immediately his fingers closed around it. "Oh," I began in mock surprise. "Are we actually going to be bathing then? And here I thought you just wanted a bath as an excuse to feel me all wet and naked."

Darren's firm hands began stroking over my back with the bar of soap. "Who said it wasn�t in my plan to do both, hmmmm? I seem to be feeling you up quite nicely under the pretext of bathing you, now don't I?"

"Not going to argue there." I reached forward and snagged a washcloth from the edge of the bathtub then captured one of Darren's hands to give it to him. "If you're going to bathe me in order to fondle me, you might as well go all out."

He chuckled, but did as instructed. With soap, water, and washcloth, Darren soon had scrubbed away not only the remnants of out intimate pairing, but most of my worries as well. Once finished, we swapped places and I wholeheartedly returned the favor, mindful of the areas that hurt him most. Rinsed, relaxed, and refreshed, we crawled out of the tub long before all the bubbles had popped, but long after our skin had gone wrinkled from the water. I stepped out of the bath first, pulled the stopper from the drain, then escorted a dripping Darren from the tub. Then the pair of us were toweled off and robed and back into the bedroom again. Darren was already seated in the bed, and before I could move to join him a knock sounded on the door.

"Who the hell could that be?" I mused aloud, turning to look at my partner who was grinning rather cheekily. He knew something�

The rapping on the door repeated itself followed by the words, "Room service!"

I glared at Darren, ignoring the fact that the look was lost on him. He must have been able to feel the weight of the glare though, because his cheekiness increased. "While you were filling the bath, I took the liberty of ordering breakfast," he announced. "I didn't think you�d mind�and I figured it would take longer than it apparently did."

Rolling my eyes, I moved away from the bed to answer the door. Outside I found a covered cart, but no delivery person. After a quick glance up and down the hall, I nodded to myself then moved to wheel the cart into the room. As I began to uncover our food, I looked over to see Darren still sitting in the bed. Quirking an eyebrow in pure habit, I inquired, "Well, Divaboy, are you going to be getting off your Diva-arse anytime soon and joining me?"

Darren's smug grin melted into giggles. Putting on quite the melodramatic air he haughtily replied, "What, I went through all the trouble of actually picking up the telephone to have this meal sent, and you're making me work to eat? That's just cruel, Danny�"

But he got up anyway. His good humor dampened somewhat as he got tangled in the sheets while standing. With a muttered curse, he unwound himself then went through the tiny, uncertain steps ritual to cross the room. Darren made it across the gap between the beds, but managed to bump into the second one. As he guided himself along the edge of the bed he shook his head slightly, then stumbled as his equilibrium changed.

"I got tangled in the first bed and tripped over the second one. Now all I've to do is plow into a coffee machine and my morning will be complete, " he groused. I smiled and my grin grew as he began singing in parody, "Now I take another step�slowly I cross this damned floor�"

"All right," I said. "Shut up and get over here!"

"Hey, Bossy, I'm working on it."

He paused for a moment upon reaching the end of the bed, seeming confused. As he cocked his head to the side and appeared to be listening intently, I realized what the problem was. "Sure you are," I replied, my tone condescending. While I spoke I began to deliberately make more noise than necessary as I uncovered our breakfast and set the table. Butter-knives, spoons, forks, and our breakfast plates clunked heavily as I set them down. Looking up from my task, I saw Darren zero in on the noise and begin to move in the right direction. I nodded once to myself, satisfied, then went about plunking other things on the table. Then I picked up one of the forks and spoons and began drumming a nice little rhythm on the tabletop. By this time, Darren was by my side and groping for one of the chairs.

"Okay, Danny," he told me as he sat down. "You can stop that now. It was helpful at first, but now it has gone well past the point of obnoxious!"

Giving the table one last good thump, I desisted.

After that, breakfast settled into a quiet affair. We sat silently, eating what Darren had ordered for us, me drinking black coffee (delivered, no coffee machine needed on my part!), and him sipping contentedly on a mug of warm tea. The sun rose as we ate; I finished first and leaned back to casually watch the sky growing lighter and lighter outside our window. Once Darren had his fill, I stood up to pile the emptied items back on the cart. He insisted on helping, handing me everything that was in his reach, which worked well enough until he knocked into my coffee mug, sending it toppling. He pulled back his hand, startled. Luckily enough I had already finished most of the coffee and only a little spilled, spreading across the table.

The phone rang just then proving the theory--If it's not one thing, it's another.

"Darren?" I ventured. "Do you think you can get the phone while I finish here?" I wasn't used to playing maid, but I had it covered. I just couldn�t be in two places at once!

"Yeah, Dan, I've got it."

Darren inched his way back to the bed much faster this time than he had before. He reached the phone by the forth ring and answered with a rather triumphant, "Hello?" Then he settled himself on the still made-up bed to listen to the person on the other end of the line. Satisfied that he was thus occupied for a time, I completed my cleaning job, wheeled the now disheveled cart back into the hallway, and bid my maid duties farewell.

When I came back into the room Darren was off the phone and practically bouncing with suppressed energy. Hyperactive to a fault. "Leo was on the phone!" he announced. Where he got the energy, especially after all that went on yesterday--was it only yesterday?-- I will never know.

"What did she want?"

"She said that the others were getting ready to leave for the airport and wanted to know if we were coming to send them off. I told her we would, if that's all right with you."

"S'fine. We should probably get dressed first, though, don�t you agree?"

Darren nodded and bounded off the bed, then grimaced a little as the movement jarred his shoulder.

"Slowly," I reminded him. "You're not completely sound yet. You want me to rummage around in your mess of packing and see if I can find you something to put on?"

"Please," he replied, then paused and seemed to think. Suddenly grinning he resumed, "But don't let it be boring! I have a reputation to uphold!"

I growled at him. "As long as it covers your arse, I'm not fussed about it!" I moved to retrieve the suitcases. Just to be mean, I pulled out a pair of plain denims and then looked around for a suitable shirt. Where�? There at the bottom of the case I found what I was looking for--a seemingly innocent black t-shirt. This particular shirt had been a gift to Darren from the other three guys in the band. It was a tight, clinging thing with the word DIVA emblazoned across the chest in glittery pink script. He had laughed when he got the gift, but hadn't yet worn it. T'would do nicely, I thought.

Taking the time to grab socks and undershorts, I then walked back over to Darren and handed the clothing to him.

"Thank you, Danny."

I grinned, "You're more than welcome�"

That accomplished, I went in search of clothing for me, and wound up with a pair of ragged jeans and a thin sweater that I was pretty certain belonged to Darren, but didn't really care. Once dressed, I turned to collect Darren in order to leave and found him shrugging into his shirt. He managed to locate his shoes from under the bed as I finished pulling on mine.

Minutes later, after a warning call from Leonie, we were out the door and down the hall. Her door opened as soon as Darren raised a hand to knock, which startled us both. "You both ready?" Leonie demanded briskly then visibly started upon looking at Darren's shirt. With an upraised eyebrow, she glanced at me in question; I smiled innocently in return.

"But of course, Leo," Darren replied, oblivious to the exchange. "Aren't we always?"

Leonie didn't bother to dignify that with a reply. Smart woman�

"The others are already out in the rental. A car with their bags has been sent to the airport already so we don�t have to worry with that," she stated, going into her "super-efficiency" mode. That was really trying sometimes� "One thing that we do need to concern ourselves with is the press."

Darren and I simultaneously cringed at this.

Leonie continued, ignoring both of our looks. "Apparently, the media has staked out this hotel in hopes to get whatever information they can out of you. We'll issue a statement later, but right now the plan is just to avoid them as much as possible."

"So what are we going to do?" I asked. I was not liking the sound of this; I hated the press.

"Take the service elevator down, sneak out the back, and hope for the best."

I really wasn't liking the sound of this.

Darren and I both nodded gamely though and followed her lead to the service elevator at the back of the hotel. We weren't really worried because the others had gotten out seemingly safe enough. Together, the three of us stepped out of the elevator with me guiding Darren, made our way down a small, darkened hallway, and raised a loading dock door to walk out into the sunlight.

We made it two steps.

And that's when our world suddenly exploded in chaotic burst of flashbulbs and voices�

tbc